When is fast too fast?

[bushpilot]

Getting back to the gust thing. It's a pretty much data free observation, but my feeling would be that gusts can be sharper edged than lulls. Also, when approaching downwind, wind shear effects are airspeed positive rather than the normal airspeed negative so that works in your favour.I wonder what the strip is like when you are landing into wind up hill. That ridge in the background must produce some interesting turbulence.

That was my 'common-sense' guess also. A gust up the rear in a downwind landing could drop the IAS suddenly, is my feeling; so I tend to stay at 70kts on late final and only drop to 60kts just before the flair..

 

When landing up-hill into wind, there is no go around option due to that ridge; but, thankfully, it doesnt generate any rotor or wave affect nor much turbulence. It has a higher ridge behind it and I think that protects it a bit.

 

Ref. the other comments here, braking is not a problem, as the up-slope washes off speed quickly. And, based on the feedback here, I tried a bit of power just before flaring yesterday (with tailwind) and it did make the contact a lot smoother.. Thanks guys!

 

 

[bushpilot]

Latest pics for better perspective..

 

I have had a few enquiries from pilots in our area asking about getting into my strip, so today we took some better pics to provide a clearer perspective of the T/O get-away and landing approaches.

 

The 'West direction 1' photo shows that clearance is not an issue; the trees in the distance are 1000m way and lower than the horizon.

 

The 'East direction' photo shows the approach view (uphill). I said earlier that there is no go around option - but what I should have added is "when the a/c is below 50 feet off the deck". A go around to the North is fine, with more starting altitude than 50'.

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

 

BTW: The darker green strip of grass is where I have widened the strip - not the full strip. The strip is overall 15m in width.

 

 

 

 

 

[mAgNeToDrOp]

I kan do fysiks me

 

Just a a general theoretical addition to this thread for those who like to think in numbers - You can look at the energy calculations which will tell you how much energy you have to wash off to stop the thing

 

Kinetic Energy (KE - in Joules) = 0.5 * mass(kg) * velocity (m/s) squared

 

You work out how much difference there is in landing a j160 at 65 knots ground speed and say 80 knots ground speed at mtow 540kg (just for simplicity sake)

 

65kn = 301201 Joules

 

75kn = 402289 Joules

 

80kn = 458309 Joules

 

thats 33% more energy to wash off at 75 knots and 50% more energy to wash off at 80 knots than at 65 knots

 

Opened my eyes at least as I was always fast on approach when first learning to land, suppose it's the same principal why a car takes so much longer to stop at just 5km'h difference (there was that ad on tv)

 

(ps that calc sounds right but you will have to forgive me if its totally wrong since high school physics was more than a decade ago :hittinghead: then I'l just go back to hammering rocks and lifting evvy fings )